-->

Monday, June 21, 2021

Filmmaker Marc Smolowitz Talks New Films & More (AUDIO)


 

 

 

 

 

 

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Marc Smolowitz a multi-award-winning independent filmmaker based in San Francisco. His company 13TH GEN is an entrepreneurial boutique company with a current slate of some 10-15 high quality projects both fiction and nonfiction all at different stages. 13TH GEN works with a dynamic range of independent film partners to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. Recently his documentary “Being BeBe” directed by Emily Branham was showcased at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be the closing film at the Provincetown International Film Festival on June 24th. “Being BeBe” is about Marshall Ngwa (a.k.a. renowned drag performer BeBe Zahara Benet) who travels to the United States from homophobic Cameroon with dreams of a better life and became the first winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2009. With over 15 years of unfettered and intimate access to Marshall’s story, the film presents his unique love affair with performance alongside his unstoppable sense of persistence and purpose, offering an unprecedented portrait of an artist who chooses to live a creative life against all odds. Smolowitz's career focuses on powerful social issue films and filmmaking across all genres. We talked to Marc about what he hopes to accomplish with his company 13TH GEN and his commitment to our LGBTQ issues. 

Marc Smolowitz is a director, producer and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films wearing many hats across the entertainment industry. The combined footprint of his works has touched 200+ film festivals and markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts and numerous awards and nominations. His long list of credits includes films that have screened at top-tier festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, Venice, Chicago, SF FILM, Palm Springs to name a few. In 2016 he received one of the prestigious IFP Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network and Marche du Film marking him as one of the USA's most influential independent film producers. 13TH GEN believes strongly in the power and potential of beautifully produced social issue films to speak to every generation. For More Info… 


 
 
 
 
  
 

DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW






Monday, June 7, 2021

Lisa Viola Talks Hybrid Provincetown Film Festival (AUDIO)


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Lisa Viola, Artistic Director for the Provincetown International Film Festival that takes place June 16th to 25th both virtually and in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The newly re-envisioned hybrid festival came together with the ingenuity and sheer determination of a world-class team of programmers including Andrew Peterson, Heidi Zwicker and Valérie Déus. Celebrating its 23rd year Richard Linklater will be this year’s Filmmaker on the Edge recipient in conversation with resident artist John Waters. Riz Ahmed, Academy Award Best Actor nominee for “Sound Of Metal” will receive this year’s Excellence in Acting Award in conversation with Vanity Fair Chief Critic Richard Lawson and queer actor/filmmaker Natalie Morales PIFF will receive the Next Wave Award in conversation with musician Holly Miranda. The hybrid festival will open with Jon M. Chu’s “In The Heights” at the Wellfleet Drive-In on June 16th and the festival will close with Emily Branham’s BeBe Zahara Benet documentary “Being BeBe” with guests of honor including director Emily Branham, producer Marc Smolowitz and the film’s subject and star BeBe Zahara Benet, the winner of the very first RuPaul’s Drag Race. Some other highlights will include a Filmmaker Celebration at Truro Vineyards with Christine Vachon who co-founded the impactful independent film and television production company Killer Films joined by director and writer Daniel Minahan on June 19th from 6P to 7:30. We talked to Lisa about what she hopes to accomplish at this year’s Provincetown International Film Festival and her spin on our LGBTQ issues. 

Lisa Viola is the Artistic Director for the Provincetown International Film Festival and has been affiliated with the festival since its inception in 1999. Lisa also serves as the Director of Programming for the GlobeDocs Film Festival produced by The Boston Globe. Through January 2020 she was a Programming Associate for the Sundance Film Festival and has been programming there since 1992. Lisa graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Communication Arts and has consulted for other film festivals including the Nantucket Film Festival, True/False and served as a documentary juror at SXSW. The Provincetown Film Society (PFS) is an advocate for diverse representation in film, providing year-round programming and platforms that allow voices of all kinds to be heard via film. Through PFS’s work they have an ability to better understand and appreciate human struggles and triumphs by showcasing our similarities and differences in today’s diverse culture. Provincetown International Film Festival will be closely monitoring federal, state and local COVID-19 safety guidelines and will continue to adjust safety policies accordingly throughout the festival. For Info & Tix: ptownfilmfest.org 



 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW